Three Weeks
by skwirelygurli
Summary: Austin is given the ultimatum: Either confess his feelings in 3 weeks to Ally, or have Trish and Dez do it for him. Auslly.


**Three Weeks, an Austin & Ally fiction**

**I do not own Austin & Ally. As always, reviews and requests are always encouraged and welcome.**

Three weeks. They're giving him three weeks. And then, they're telling.

He can't tell her.

Because then she'll never talk to him again.

But if he doesn't tell her, they will.

And then she'll never talk to him again.

Either way, he's screwed.

Unless...

No, there's no way Ally could like him back.

Could she?

Three weeks. He has three weeks and then it's all over.

_Day One: Take a Chance, make a stand, and break, break, break down the walls. (Break Down the Walls)_

He's hiding behind a display of brass instruments, watching her as she tries not to cringe at Nelson's piano playing. He chuckles to himself as he finishes and she give a visible sigh of relief.

Nelson gets up from the bench. He calls out his goodbyes to Ally, who is still at the bench, collecting the sheet music. It's then that he passes Austin.

"Austin, what are you doing hiding behind the trumpets?" He straightens up.

"I wasn't hiding." He looks over to the piano. Her back is still turned.

"Yes you were," Nelson says. Austin looks over again. She's dropped the sheets and he should go help. But Nelson's a good kid, and even if he's frazzled Austin, he deserves an honest answer.

With a quick glance to make sure she's occupied he tells him. "I was watching Ally."

"Why?" She's getting up now. He's running out of time.

"I like her." He pauses, then adds, "In a more than friends kind of way."

It's the first time he's said it out loud. He hasn't even admitted it to Dez (though he's pretty sure he already figured it out). The words are barely above a whisper, and he thanks his lucky stars the shop is crowded enough to shield her from the truth.

"You going to tell her?" Nelson asks.

"Not today." He gives a faint smile. Some day he is going to take that chance. But he'd pretty sure that if that day were today he'd be reacquainting himself with his breakfast. All over his sneakers and her sandals.

When they say spill your guts, he's pretty sure that's not what they mean.

So he waits until tomorrow.

_Day Two: You hold my hand in peace. So glad you're here to stay. (Never)_

There's a pretty big crowd around them. He's starting to think all of Miami came out to see the concert. And who wouldn't, when it's free? Neither of them have heard of the band before. But Trish is supposed to be working the food tent, and they promised they'd be there.

The park is so packed you can barely seen the green of the grass. They're up against a tree. Dez is attempting to climb it (attempting being the key word here) to get a better view for his camera. His foot nearly comes in contact with Austin's head.

"Hey!" he shouts.

"Sorry buddy." He grabs onto a branch. "Finally made it. Boy, am I parched."

Before he jumps down and creates another mess Ally pipes up. "I'll go get you a drink. Austin, you want anything?"

"Sure. I'll come with you." He grabs her hand.

He holds on as she weaves through the crowd. And then when they're making their way back, he grabs on again. He says it's so they don't lose each other.

She doesn't let her hand out of his for the rest of the night.

_Day three: Girl, I'll make your wish come true. (Illusion)_

Her head is threatening to hit the cash register. They hadn't gotten home until late. Even then she was so wound up she didn't fall asleep. And when she finally did fall asleep her alarm went off.

Five hours of sleep. It was not an attractive look.

Austin comes in and slouches against the counter. The counter that is newly lined with two cups of coffee.

"Morning Ally," he yawns. He tries to cover it.

"Is that coffee?" she asks, pointing to the cup.

He nudges it towards her. "Thought you might need some after last night. That was some concert, huh?"

"Yeah." She takes a long sip from the cup. Just what she needed. "Where are Dez and Trish?"

"Probably still in line at the coffee shop."

Then it dawns on her.

He only got her coffee.

She's too tired to question it.

_Day four: If I lose my grip on gravity, I'm doing the best I can. (That's Just Who I Am)_

It's not like he planned to trip. It just sorta happened. Those evil shoelaces, coming untied and whatnot.

It's not the fact that he's tripped that's the problem.

It's the fact that he bumped right into her and sent her tumbling. To the ground. With him. As in, Austin and Ally are both on the ground.

With that stupid untied shoelace.

"I am so sorry Ally. Are you okay?" He's picking up her limbs, checking for bruises. His fingers cruise up her arms at a hectic pace.

"I'm fine." She puts her hand on his to calm him down.

"Oh good. That's good," he breathes. Now's his chance. It's like the movies. Boy and girl fall to the ground. Boy moves to kiss girl.

She's right there. All he has to do is lean forward and –

"Austin, can we get up now?"

Perhaps another time.

_Day five: There's a clock we'll ignore, find a way around it. (Not a Love Song)_

He's supposed to meet Dez to go over his next music video in an hour. He has plenty of time.

Wait, is that the minute hand? It is 5:30, right?

He doesn't want to interrupt her. They're in the middle of a really great chorus, maybe the best they've ever written, but he has to know.

"Ally, what time is it?" Her fingers freeze above the keys. Then she pulls out her phone.

"Almost 6:30. Do you have to be somewhere?"

He leaps up from the piano bench. "I'm supposed to be meeting Dez at Melody's Diner. Right now."

He's halfway down the stairs. She follows him.

"Just tell him that we lost track of time. I'm sure he'll understand."

"Understand what?" Dez asks from the doorway. Right when she's hugging him, reassuring him everything will be okay. Perfect timing.

His grin creeps Austin out. Like, I-know-what-you-mean-so-don't-even-bother-to-break-this-hug-man. Except he has no clue.

_Day six: I'll make you forget what you came here for. (Heartbeat)_

He knows there was some reason he came in here.

Last thing he remembers he was up in his room, entertaining his captive audience (i.e. Dougie the dolphin) with a new dance routine for the music video.

Now he's in the downstairs hallway, and he has no idea why.

He was upstairs, came down the stairs and got a call from Ally.

Yeah, that's right when he lost it.

Which is utterly ridiculous, because all she said was "How's the choreographing going?" to which he gave her a detailed reply. He wasn't trying to impress her.

Okay, maybe just a little.

Ten minutes later, he's standing in the hallway, and he can't remember why he's there.

His stomach rumbles.

He's thinking it may have something to do with food.

_Day seven: We do not have spiders. (Suzy's Soup)_

Well, this is a bit embarrassing.

He's sitting in Sonic Boom, minding his own business (and Ally's business, but she is his business these days) when it happens.

A spider walks across his hand, all nonchalantly, like, 'hey bro, don't mind me, just being a spider and such' and he squeaks.

Like a freaking dolphin. No offense Dougie.

A few customers turn to stare. That's not the embarrassing part. No, he can deal with that. It's that Ally turned to stare.

She shrinks back in fear. "Austin, get it out of here!"

He flails his hand around, trying to get the spider to let go. The little girl looking at violins walks over and grabs his hand.

"Hold still." With that she removes the creature and sets him free from the store.

Yup, he's a real knight in shining armor alright.

_Day eight: I'm the sun in your eyes. (You Don't See Me)_

He's mostly recovered from yesterday. There hadn't been any more spiders that afternoon.

He avoids sitting at the table, just in case.

Instead, he sits on the counter. Right next to Ally. Who is looking exceptionally pretty today in her yellow dress. She's almost like the sun.

"I do not look like the sun Austin." Her hands are on her hips.

"Who said you did?" He silently hopes he didn't say that out loud. Narration does stay inside his head, right?

She pokes him in the chest. "You did. You said 'She's almost like the sun.' Unless you were referring to her." She retracts her finger to point to the sole other female in the room, who is dressed in all black.

Looks like there's no way he's getting out of this one.

"But you are like the sun Ally. You're yellow, and radiant. Heck, even your name is Dawson. Da-sun? We're like the sun and the moon." he repairs, hoping he didn't push too many boundaries.

Despite her efforts, she breaks into a smile.

She is definitely the sun.

_Day nine: Even though I'm small and frail, I can do most anything. (Butterfly Song)_

He's holding it high above his head and she's hopping, trying to reach.

It is outright adorable.

"Give me back my book!" The store is pretty empty, save for Dez and Trish. They're sitting over on the benches, heads bent together whispering. He was pretty sure it was about him, or rather him and her and his lack of progress over the past week.

"Ally, we've been working for hours. Can't we take a break?" He keeps it in the air.

She huffs, as if she is going to give up.

Next thing he knows, she's standing on the piano bench. Trish and Dez lift their heads to watch. Her fingers barely brush the bottom. Yet again she huffs.

There's no way she's going to win, but he loves watching her try.

She wiggles around for a minute, testing the sturdiness of the bench. Then there she is, her fingertips brushing his, grabbing the book. She is one determined girl.

She is also falling down, and he's swooping his arm around her before she can lose her footing.

He lifts her into the air and sets her on the ground.

"Fine. Let's go."

Trish and Dez don't bother to follow.

_Day ten: It's such a crazy journey but I'm not in any hurry. (Na Na Na)_

Today he's shooting his video. Ally is hanging around in the background, trying to avoid getting in the view of the camera.

It's halfway through the three weeks. So far he hasn't told her. But he's held her hand, and brought her coffee, and screamed at a spider (that's one he'd rather forget). Maybe this will all work out after all.

His eyes move off screen to catch her smiling at him. He winks back, and he swears he can see her blush. Not that he has time to check as he does a flip in the air.

He lands. He glances over again and she's still watching.

That's enough to make his heart flip on it's own, even with his feet planted firmly on the ground.

_Day eleven: And who says we have to agree? (It's Me, It's You)_

They're watching the rough cut of the video in the practice room. He's sitting next to her, Dez next to Trish. He can't help but wonder if it's their way of forcing them together or if they have their own thing going on the side.

Dez presses play. He watches himself dance across the screen. He feels her hand on his. He's not sure if it was accidental or not, but she doesn't move it, and he's not going to argue.

His video self does the backwards flip and he notices a barely perceptible wobble. "Man, I missed the landing."

"No you didn't." She averts her gaze from the now black screen.

He knows that he's right. It's just that her hand is sitting there all peacefully, and he's not going to argue. Because he didn't fall flat on his face, and who stares at feet in music videos anyway?

The video gets rewound and replayed. "He totally did," Dez argues as he pauses it. Austin glares at him.

"Shut up Dez."

_Day twelve: Rocking the shades you could almost see their eyes lock. (Heard it on the Radio)_

They're taking the day off at the beach. It's freakishly bright outside, enough to make his eyes water. She pulls her sunglasses down, covering her eyes. He's upset by this. Her eyes are too beautiful to hide.

Then again, they are too beautiful for sun strain.

They're sharing a towel (since his has mysteriously vanished). His sun-blocked arm is rubbing against her's. It's just them, and their ice cream cones.

Or so it feels. In reality, it's them, Dez, Trish, some locals, a bus of tourists and an overactive dog playing Frisbee. So, a lot of people.

The dog comes rushing through and he puts out a hand to push Ally out of the way. Her ice cream in turn ends up smearing across her nose.

Oops?

"Austin," she moans.

"Sorry. Let me get that for you." He hands her his cone, reaching to wipe her face off. As a result, he gets sticky hands, and ice cream streaked across his side.

"Sorry. Let me buy you a new cone."

He starts to get up, but she holds him down.

"Don't worry Austin." Her eyes lock with his as she passes him a napkin. "That was your cone."

He tries not to blush.

_Day thirteen: This could be an overnight sensation, you and me tearing up the floor. (Double Take)_

He's walking through the mall humming to himself. That song has been stuck in his head since the shoot. But not the entire song. Just those two lines.

Those two lines where she smiled, and he winked and almost missed the landing on his flip.

A girl walks up to him as he passes. "I just love your new song Austin," she purrs, running a hand along his chest.

He tries to smile. She's pretty, and any other day he'd probably grin and say they should hang out some time. Except he doesn't want to hang out with her.

He wants to hang out with Ally.

Today's going to be the day. The day that he asks her out. And then there'll be no more strange girls trying to claim him as their own, because he'll belong to Ally.

Truth be told, he already does.

_Day fourteen: It's like I'm hanging on by a thread. (Don't Look Down)_

He couldn't go through with it.

He was so sure that yesterday was the day.

He glances over at her cashing out a customer. It's a mother buying a keyboard for her eight year old son's birthday, and Ally is beaming, because she just loves seeing young kids involved in music. She laughs at something the mother says, and Austin thinks it is the most beautiful sound he's ever heard.

He thinks the butterflies are having a war in his stomach. He can barely stand it. He never wants it to stop. Being in love sure makes things confusing.

Wait, love?

Yes, love.

Today is not going to be the day either.

_Day fifteen: Now you can't breathe. Why so quiet? (Billion Hits)_

They're sharing a table at Miss Suzy's Soups. It's the four of them, and he's had the luck of sitting between Dez and Trish. Or misfortune if you'd rather, because now he's right across from Ally.

He stirs the soup in his bowl.

"Dude, you've barely touched your soup," Dez notices as he slurps up the rest of his.

"Huh?" He snaps out of his stupor. Maybe he should try and eat some.

Trish raises her eyebrows. "What'cha thinking about Austin? Or is it a who?"

Ally perks up. "Ooh, I love romance! Who is it Austin?"

He chokes on his soup, which is very hot, and very painful. Dez whacks him on the back.

"You okay?" Ally asks, momentarily forgotten about the situation.

"Peachy," he moans.

These two will be the death of him.

_Day sixteen: It's no fun when you're doing it solo. (Without You)_

He's brushing his teeth when it occurs to him. He has less than one week to tell Ally how he feels or let his friends tell her for him.

He better make these last few days of friendship last.

He spits out his toothpaste in disgust.

It's not like she'll stop hanging out with him. They're friends. It'll just be really awkward. Then things will get too painful to bear and they'll part.

He doesn't want to leave her. Life isn't fun without her. Sure he had a life before her. There are things he can do without her. (Like brushing his teeth? Oh yeah, because that is so amusing. Woo hoo.)

Alright, he really can't live without her.

_Day seventeen: You're like an equation and I'm not good at math. (Can't Get Enough of You)_

Sometimes he really doesn't understand her.

This is one of those times.

He walks into the store, and her back is turned, stacking cds on the table. She doesn't need to turn, doesn't need to so much as hear his voice. "Hi Austin."

"How did you-?" he trails off.

She faces him. "Your scent."

He gives her a blank stare.

"Apple shampoo, axe body spray and bar soap." She walks past him, then back tracks for a minute. Her hand briefly graces his arm. "Pancakes. Cannot forget the pancakes."

He pulls his shirt from his body and sniffs himself. That was surprisingly accurate. (It's also surprising he still smells like pancakes when he's certain he brushed his teeth this morning.)

"Oh." He's flummoxed. He knows that she smells good, really good. But she seems to have this all down to a science. Now he's curious. He hugs her.

Strawberries. Ally Dawson smells like strawberries. And something minty. Something like-

"Austin, are you sniffing me?" His nose stops in mid-whiff. Caught.

"No."

Spearmint. Ally Dawson smells like strawberries and spearmint.

_Day eighteen: Tongue tied when you look in my eyes, don't blink. (Ready Set Rock)_

It's a simple question. He should be able to answer this. Open his mouth and answer her, like a big boy.

"So how's it going with that girl you like?"

Close his mouth and avoid the question like the scared little boy he really is. No, he will not be a little boy. He will open his mouth and tell her the truth.

If only he could find a way to unravel his tongue. It's a bit tied at the moment.

He runs a hand through his hair, and somehow the motion lets his mouth start working again.

"I, it's uh, good." If only his brain would catch up.

"What's she like?" Oh dear lord, why were there no customers around?

He resists the urge to run his hand through his hair again.

He tries to find the right word to describe her. Funny, cute, all around perfect. A smile appears on his face. This is the perfect opportunity for him. The perfect time to tell her how he feels.

"Ally, I-" he starts when Trish comes in.

"Guess who got a job at Mini's?" she calls out, spreading her arms in a wide gesture. She takes in the situation. "Oh, I'll just be going now."

She scurries off, much to the confusion of Ally.

"Alrighty then. You were saying?" She turns back to Austin.

"She's amazing." He sighs. Absolutely amazing.

_Day nineteen: You've got my heartbeat pumping and it's going insane. (Crazy)_

Hearts are not meant to beat this fast.

His bed is soaked in sweat. It was only a dream. A scary, freaky dream that makes him want to run to her house and shield her from all danger at two in the morning.

Correction, 2:06.

He has three days left. Three days before Dez and Trish tell his secret to the world. (Really it's just Ally, but she is the world to him.)

He lost her in the dream. There's no way he's losing her in real life.

He picks up his phone and dials her number.

She picks up on the third ring, and although her voice is tired, it's laced with concern. "Austin? Is everything okay?"

He breathes a sigh of relief. She's okay.

"I just really needed to hear your voice," he whispers. It's such a naked truth, and the thought scares him.

"I'm here as long as you need me," she says. She sounds a bit more awake now.

He smiles, picturing her laying in bed. "Thanks Ally."

She stays on the line, listening to him tell her about his nightmare, assuring him she'll never leave him.

An hour later he's fast asleep.

_Day twenty: Some times I get in my own way. (Better Together)_

He walks into the Sonic Boom with two cups of coffee in his hands. He sets one on the counter top.

"Thanks for last night." He takes a sip from the other cup.

"No big deal." She takes the other cup and for a moment it's just the sound of them sipping.

He sets his cup down. "Very big deal. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She sets his cup next to his and walks around the counter. She wraps her arms around him. She squeezes so tight he almost can't breathe.

Almost. (Considering how hard he's squeezing her back, she probably feels the same way.)

"What's going on here?" Dez asks, entering the store.

"Pure, unadulterated love," Trish answers.

They separate. Ally laughs. "Love?"

"Yeah, Austin loves you." Dez fails to notice the glare being directed at him.

"Really?" She looks right into his eyes.

He swallows, though his mouth has gone dry. "Of course. You're my best friend."

Her face drops.

Why does he have the feeling he said the wrong thing?

He'd insert his foot in his mouth, but he'd fall over, and he's made a big enough fool of himself today.

_Day twenty one: Can't let one bad thing go and crush your ways. ( Way That You Do)_

He's not sure what makes him do it. Perhaps it was the three hours of staring at his ceiling, begging for a sign (his mother shouting "Austin Monica Moon, go to bed!" was not what he had in mind). Or maybe it's the fact that she's looking really pretty today.

No, it is because it's the last day. If he doesn't tell her by midnight, his life will be over.

And if he does tell her by midnight, it'll all be over.

So why not just get it over with already?

He walks up the stairs to the practice room and knocks on the door. It's already open.

"You know you don't have to knock, right?" She closes her book.

"Yeah." He sits down next to her on the piano bench. "You writing a new song?"

She scoots away. It's barely noticeable, just one move to the right, but to him it feels like miles. She's still hurt.

He knows it shouldn't be considered a good thing, but the fact that she's hurt that he loves her as a best friend has to count for something right? That maybe she wanted him to say he loved her as something more.

"I was just messing around. It's not much." She glides her fingers gently across the keys. He takes a deep breath. Letting it out he scoots closer, closing that gap.

"Can I hear it anyway?" He's so close his voice trickles down her spine. She bends her head up. His face is there, like right there. She forgets to breathe.

She reaches for the keys and hits the first note. She's so distracted she can't bear to play the rest.

"You're right; it isn't much," he teases.

She scrunches her nose in reply.

"You are so adorable when you do that."

He pulls away, realizing what he said. He closes his eyes, waiting for the bomb to drop. The three weeks are up. He either tells her right here, right now at this piano bench, or Dez and Trish will. She has to know.

"Austin?" she asks, and he opens his eyes to see her hand reaching for his.

"Ally," he says. With one word he finds a lump forming in his throat, but he pushes it down. "When I said I love you as my best friend, I may have understated my feelings."

She shifts her hand so their fingers interlock. "What do you mean?"

He looks into her eyes. That's when it hits him. She really doesn't know. She doesn't know that he's been pining for her for what seems like forever now. She's not toying with him, making him squirm as he confesses his feelings. She doesn't want him to because she wants to hear him confirm her thoughts.

She wants him to love her back.

"You're the girl."

Three weeks. He had three weeks, and it's not all over.

It's barely begun.

_Day twenty two: _ _And when I walk to her door I'm thinking, gee. Just give me one more kiss I'm begging please. (Say You'll Stay)_

Her legs are wrapped around his waist, his arms around his neck. Her laugh is so loud, right there in his ear he think he may burst.

The butterflies have finally ceased their war. They're still there, but he realizes now they're on his side.

He sets her down next to Trish. They both stand next to Dez on the side of the stage, right where he can see her. The band finishes their set and walk off stage.

"Looks like I'm next," he says and leans over.

One more kiss, he promises. I'll only steal one more kiss.

For now anyways.


End file.
